Christmas is coming - but, if you're short of cash, you don't need to fork out too much on your supermarket shop for much longer.

National supermarket The Co-op is to start selling food beyond its "best before" date at just 10p a time in a ground-breaking attempt to cut waste.

The Mirror reports that, from Monday, shoppers at some Co-op stores will be able to buy the bargain-price products which are past their "best before" date, which relates to quality rather than safety.

As of yet, the only stores included are in East Anglia.

Co-op says the range of food products will be sold in 125 stores for 10p each. It estimates it will save two million tonnes of food from being wasted at its stores every year.

The cut-price items will include tinned goods, packets and dried food. Last year the Government found that a massive £16billion worth of food -- equivalent to £700 per household -- was wasted every year.

The latest move to slash waste, launched under the slogan The Co-op Guide to Dating, follows a three month trial in 14 branches.

Joint chief executive Roger Grosvenor told trade magazine The Grocer: "This is not a money making exercise, but a sensible move to reduce food waste and keep edible food in the food chain.

"By selling perfectly edible food we can save 50,000 plus items every year that would otherwise have gone to waste.

"During our trial we found 10p items went within hours of being reduced, sometimes quicker.